The "compact disc" or "CD," a 4.7 inch diameter metal record containing laser-readable information, has become a significant consumer product in the field of recorded music. With the advent of the compact disc and compact disc players approximately five years ago, there arose a concomitant need for an attractive, durable package in which to display, sell and store the compact disc. The two most popular of these packages are 1) the so-called "jewel box," generally comprising three separate pieces of plastic, including clear front and back package panels and an opaque compact disc holder which snapfits into the back package panel, and 2) the DIGIPAK.RTM., generally comprising a unitary paperboard blank that is cut, scored and folded so that at least one compact disc holder may be adhered thereto and the package will hold, protect and present an attractive display for the compact disc(s). The DIGIPAK.RTM. is the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,812 (the "'812 patent") which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Currently, both the jewel box and the DIGIPAK.RTM. are packaged for sale to consumers in the United States inside a 6 inch by 12 inch cardboard box ("the 6 by 12 box"), which is ordinarily covered with shrink-wrap clear plastic.
The 6 by 12 box serves at least three functions at retail. An important function of the 6 by 12 box is to prevent theft of CD packages from retail stores. Retail theft is such a significant problem in the retail music business in the United States that having the 6 by 12 box was a major part of the marketing impetus that allowed compact discs to gain acceptance from retail merchants, and thus to begin to replace vinyl record albums and cassette tapes in retail stores as the primary source of recorded music for consumers. Thus, it is important that any alternative package to the 6 by 12 box preserve the anti-theft quality the 6 by 12 box provides.
The 6 by 12 box also fits into the existing fixtures in retail music stores that were originally configured for the display of 12 inch by 12 inch vinyl record albums. These fixtures, therefore, did not have to be reconfigured in order to accept the 6 by 12 boxes, since they can simply hold two 6 by 12 boxes where they previously held one album. This presented a significant advantage for the sale of compact discs by the retail recorded music industry.
The 6 by 12 box also provides a larger surface than the approximately 5 by 5 inch surface area of the jewel box or folded DIGIPAK.RTM. on which various graphic art displays can be presented to consumers.
However, despite these advantages over a container roughly 5 inches in diameter, in recent years the 6 by 12 box has come under attack from a number of sources. Ecological groups and others have sought to have the 6 by 12 box removed from the marketing and packaging of compact discs because of the amount of unnecessary packaging materials involved. Consumers and members of the recording industry have also expressed dissatisfaction with having to discard the 6 by 12 box. Thus, a new packaging alternative is needed in order to both preserve the advantages that the 6 by 12 box has offered and to comply with the demands of consumers, recording artists and retailers who have emphasized the disadvantages of the current system for the packaging and sale of compact discs in the 6 by 12 box.
The present invention combines the best features and advantages of the 6 by 12 box and eliminates many of the significant disadvantages thereof. The present invention comprises a DIGIPAK.RTM. constructed generally as disclosed in the '812 patent, in which the front panel, for retail display purposes, is not folded over the panel containing the CD but is instead left in an unfolded orientation, as an extension of the CD-containing panel, and is held in that unfolded or open orientation by at least one and preferably two J-shaped members or clips made of a resilient material such as plastic. With the front panel held in an open orientation, the DIGIPAK.RTM. itself comprises a package roughly the size of a 6 by 12 box, thereby preserving the anti-theft and other desirable qualities of the package without adding to the packaging and waste disposal problems associated with the present 6.times.12 boxes.